[Ebook] 500 freshwater aquarium fish – Cyprinids – Rosy Barb (Barbus conchonius)

This is one of the most famous and popular species in the aquarium hobby. As the name implies, the basic body color is rosy—but only really pronounced in males, particularly during the breeding season. Over the years, many varieties of this attractive fish have been produced by commercial breeders, most notably long-finned, red, and copper/bronze types in which the females are also more deeply pigmented than their wild or basic counterparts. The Rosy Barb can tolerate relatively low temperatures, making it suitable for some coldwater aquaria, but not in areas that experience severe winter weather.

Synonym

• Puntius conchonius

Subfamily

• Cyprininae

Distribution

• Northern India.

Size

• Up to 6in (15cm), but usually much smaller.

Behavior

• Active shoaler; tolerant of others.

Diet

• All livefoods and commercial diets are accepted.

Aquarium

• Open swimming areas along with plant thickets should be provided. Although a wide range of water chemistry conditions are tolerated, extremes of pH and hardness should be avoided. Temperature range: as low as 59 F (15 C) can be tolerated during the winter season without trouble. At other times of the year, 64-77 F (18-25 C).

Breeding

• A typical egg scatterer among fine-leaved vegetation. As with all other scatterers, the parents will consume their eggs given the opportunity. Hatching takes about 30 hours at the higher end of the temperature range.